Yeah. I was wondering if/when we finally get to see our throwbacks on the field if they would be the actual jerseys or a modern facsimile of them or a NIKE new jersey in the old style? Should be interesting.

"Some people here have been groomed to accept mediocrity and lame ducks, I'm on board with the vibrato!" -SouthSoundHawk "BFS is kicking ass in here." -kearly (8/9/2013)

I have been a major collector of Seahawks uniforms since the early 90's. Over the years, I have accumulated over 300 pieces in my collection. Most have been resold, but I still have a ton of stuff. Many of the guys on this board have stuff from me and they can back me up here. I hate to keep re-hashing this stuff, but maybe it is time again...

The Seahawks have never worn jerseys or pants manufactured by Starter (or more specifically, the "Starter" brand name). So, this is NOT an authentic jersey. Although the names of the companies have changed due to mergers and marketing moves, many came from Wisconsin factories back in the day. MacGregor, Reebok, Wilson, Puma, LogoAthletic, et. al. are all in bed together (or at least friends on Facebook), but very different on the store shelves, but every one has been worn by the Seahawks over the years. They may have worn some items at practice made under the Starter label, but not on game day.

When I think of an authentic piece, I think about a brand name that the team actually wore during games. Then, I look at if it is a retail version or an actual player jersey. Player's jerseys are cut specifically to fit tightly in the body and allow for shoulder pads (duh) and have extra length so as not to be readily "un-tucked". Additionally, the material quality is quite different, it is doubled in some areas, and piece is much heavier than the typical reproduction pieces. This has changed over the years since mesh jerseys were worn, and the quality of the reproduction jerseys has dramatically improved especially during the Reebok era.

The Hawks wore MacGregor "Sand Knit" jerseys from 76 to around 83/84 when they switched to Wilson. Wilson ran from 84 thru 89/90 then it was Puma, then LogoAthletic, Reebok, then of course Nike. I have had numerous pairs of the old silver pants where the Wilson logo on the thigh was actually covered by a Puma logo which was sewn over it. These uniforms were primarily used in practices and in preseason games where 90+ players had to be clothed for games. Once the final roster was established, the game unis were made up and issued according to whatever contract was in place.

There has NEVER been an actual, game-ready, player-prepped, official, real, uniform copy, made of a real player's jersey, that went straight to the store shelves. However, in the days of Wilson, it was possible to buy a real jersey from the proshop that was made of the same materials and cut, but was void of the tagging used by the teams to launder and keep track of them. In the early days, a sharpie on the tag sufficed, then it went to sewn in numbers, then barcodes. Yes, Reebok has the "jock tag" that says "On Field", and the same exact tag was was used on real jerseys, but little "sub-tags" were sewn under the edges with the various sizes and variations (i.e.: 48L, 44S, etc) The Wilson jerseys prepped for the team to wear had the Wilson jock tag, then another one sewn on next to it that said "...Prestige Teams". You find one of those and you have something.

Many of us have stuff that was sold in the parking lot of the KingDome before the 02 season. Pants, practice jerseys, helmets, gloves, all kinds of stuff. Examining that merchandise really told the story. I recently sent a Kenny Easley jersey to Dr. Diags that was a 1994, 75th anniversary away jersey. The team made them up for his Ring of Honor induction and sold a ton of them out of the proshop. Own one of those and you have something also. Oh, and no matter what new Nike jersey you buy, NONE of them will be truly "Authentic" player jerseys. Even the Elites have "beer-belly" cuts and none of them are taylor-fit player pieces. Sorry.

HoustonHawk82 wrote:I have been a major collector of Seahawks uniforms since the early 90's. Over the years, I have accumulated over 300 pieces in my collection. Most have been resold, but I still have a ton of stuff. Many of the guys on this board have stuff from me and they can back me up here. I hate to keep re-hashing this stuff, but maybe it is time again...

The Seahawks have never worn jerseys or pants manufactured by Starter (or more specifically, the "Starter" brand name). So, this is NOT an authentic jersey. Although the names of the companies have changed due to mergers and marketing moves, many came from Wisconsin factories back in the day. MacGregor, Reebok, Wilson, Puma, LogoAthletic, et. al. are all in bed together (or at least friends on Facebook), but very different on the store shelves, but every one has been worn by the Seahawks over the years. They may have worn some items at practice made under the Starter label, but not on game day.

When I think of an authentic piece, I think about a brand name that the team actually wore during games. Then, I look at if it is a retail version or an actual player jersey. Player's jerseys are cut specifically to fit tightly in the body and allow for shoulder pads (duh) and have extra length so as not to be readily "un-tucked". Additionally, the material quality is quite different, it is doubled in some areas, and piece is much heavier than the typical reproduction pieces. This has changed over the years since mesh jerseys were worn, and the quality of the reproduction jerseys has dramatically improved especially during the Reebok era.

The Hawks wore MacGregor "Sand Knit" jerseys from 76 to around 83/84 when they switched to Wilson. Wilson ran from 84 thru 89/90 then it was Puma, then LogoAthletic, Reebok, then of course Nike. I have had numerous pairs of the old silver pants where the Wilson logo on the thigh was actually covered by a Puma logo which was sewn over it. These uniforms were primarily used in practices and in preseason games where 90+ players had to be clothed for games. Once the final roster was established, the game unis were made up and issued according to whatever contract was in place.

There has NEVER been an actual, game-ready, player-prepped, official, real, uniform copy, made of a real player's jersey, that went straight to the store shelves. However, in the days of Wilson, it was possible to buy a real jersey from the proshop that was made of the same materials and cut, but was void of the tagging used by the teams to launder and keep track of them. In the early days, a sharpie on the tag sufficed, then it went to sewn in numbers, then barcodes. Yes, Reebok has the "jock tag" that says "On Field", and the same exact tag was was used on real jerseys, but little "sub-tags" were sewn under the edges with the various sizes and variations (i.e.: 48L, 44S, etc) The Wilson jerseys prepped for the team to wear had the Wilson jock tag, then another one sewn on next to it that said "...Prestige Teams". You find one of those and you have something.

Many of us have stuff that was sold in the parking lot of the KingDome before the 02 season. Pants, practice jerseys, helmets, gloves, all kinds of stuff. Examining that merchandise really told the story. I recently sent a Kenny Easley jersey to Dr. Diags that was a 1994, 75th anniversary away jersey. The team made them up for his Ring of Honor induction and sold a ton of them out of the proshop. Own one of those and you have something also. Oh, and no matter what new Nike jersey you buy, NONE of them will be truly "Authentic" player jerseys. Even the Elites have "beer-belly" cuts and none of them are taylor-fit player pieces. Sorry.

All righty then; Wilson (with all stitched), for the originals/throwback, and Reebok, all-stitched, for the middle period. If you can find a Logo Athletic (worn during the Galloway era) those are cool to have too.

Stay away from Starter.

"...Seattle has become the capital city of the New NFL" - Kip Earlywine Remembering "The Radish"...